James mallon



Patented Sept. 13, I898.

J. MALLON.

CANE SLING.

(Application filed May 31, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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JAMES MALLON, OF NEWV ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES W. BODLEY, OF'SAME PLACE.

CANE- -SLINGF SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 610,816, dated September 13, 1898.

Application filed May 31, 1898. erial No. 682,187. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, JAMES MALLON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cane-Slings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to cane-slings especially adapted for the unloading of sugarcane and the like from carts into cars and for the convenienthandling of cane in transport from the field to the mill or to shipping-points.

It is the object of my invention to provide a simple, inexpensive, and reliable trip-coupling for cane-slings and to furnish a sling that is light, durable, and easy to handle and which has no long bars to bend and get out of shape.

The invention consists in features of construction and novel combinations of parts in a cane-sling, as hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

I11 the annexed drawings, illustrating the invention, Figure 1 is a plan of the sling as arranged in a cane-cart. Fig. 2 is a perspective of the sling arranged for hoisting and dumping a bundle of cane. Fig. 3 is a view of the trip-coupling. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the trip-coupling. Fig. 5 is a perspective of the trigger. Fig. 6 is a perspective of the tumbler. Fig. 7 is a view of a buckle attachment.

In the drawings the reference-numerals 1 and 2 designate the chains that constitute the main portions of the sling and which are de tachably connected at the under side of a canebundle by means of a trip-coupling mechanism 3, adapted to be tripped for releasing and dumping the cane when it has been transported to the place where it is to be deposited.

The coupling mechanism comprises a casing 4, that consists, preferably, of two parallel sides connected by a back piece 5, that is extended only part way the length of the casing, which is thus open along one edge and at both ends. The open ends of this .casing 4 constitute slots 6 and 7, one long and one short. In the walls of the long slot 6 at one end of the coupling there are openings 8 for a bolt or rivet 9, by means of which the chain 1 is attached.

At the other end of the coupling the walls of the short slot 7 are formed by ears 10, having therein a pivot 11, on which a tumbler 12 is mounted. The outermost portion of the tumbler 12 is formed with a hook-shaped projection 13, with which one end of the chain 2 is to be engaged through its end link. On the innermost portion of the tumbler 12 there is a locking-1n g 14, to be normally engaged with a locking-notch or recess 15, in one end of a spring-pressed trigger 16, having a pivot 17,

. by which it is fulcrumed in the casing part of the coupling. The sides of the trigger 16 are formed with curved grooves 18 to receive one end of a spring 10, the other end of which projects beyond the trigger and in bearing contact with the back 5 of the casing. There may be two of these springs, or a single spring may be bifurcated at one end to engage in both grooves of the trigger, one on each side. The spring or springs 19 will hold the triggernotch 15 in looking. engagement with the lug 14; of the tumbler 12, as shown in Fig. 4, to retain the chain 2 thereon until the trigger is released for tripping the coupling. The longer arm of the trigger 16 is provided with an eye 20 for attachment of links 21, with which a cord, rope, or chain 22, Figs. 1 and 2, is to be detachably connected by means of hooks 23, Fig. 2, or otherwise, so as to connect the triggers of two couplings such as described. A pullcord 24 is attached to the chain or rope 22 at about midway its length. It will be obvious that by pulling the cord 24 the triggers of both couplings will be tripped, so as to release the tumblers 12, thereby permitting them to turn and become disengaged from the chains 2, that form oneside of the sling.

In preparing the sling for use two tripcouplings 3 are connected with their chains 1 and 2, as described, and the triggers of the two couplings are connected by the rope or chain 22, whereupon the sling is spread out in the bottom of a cane-cart, as shown in Fig. 1, with the chains 1 and 2 hanging over opposite sides of the cart. The cane is now thrown into the cart lengthwise and upon the sling. When the cart is taken to the derrick,

the chains 1 and 2 of each coupling 3 are brought up above the load of cane and may be connected in any suitable manner with the hoisting apparatus. The bundle of cane is then hoisted, swung over the car or above the place Where the cane is to be deposited, and then the rope 2 1 is pulled, thereby actuating the triggers 16 in such manner as to trip the tumblers 12 and release the chains 2 under the weight of the cane in the sling. Both couplings 3 are tripped bya single pull of the rope or cord 24, and thus the bundle of cane is instantly dumped at the place desired.

There are in this sling no long bars to bend or get out of shape. The sling is light, durable, and easy to handle, and the trip-couplings are simple and reliable.

In loading the cane onto barges or wherever it is desired to deposit it in bundles and leave it confined by the sling, so that the bundles can be at once picked up or hoisted and deposited elsewhere, it is preferable to provide the sling with some means for connecting and locking the chains 1 and 2 at points opposite the trip-couplings. For this purpose I prefer to employ chain buckles 25, one of which may be permanently attached to one end of each of those chains 2 that are to be detachably connected with the hooked tumblers of the trip-couplings. The buckles 25 are each provided with a circumferentiallygrooved roller 26 and with a tongue 27, as shown in Fig. 7. hen the cane is to be hoisted, the tongues of the buckles 25 are to be thrown back away from the rollers 26, and I then pass through these buckles the spreaderchains 28, that depend from the ends of a spreader 29, Fig. 2, which is to connect with the hoisting appliance. The spreader-chains 28 are then connected by hooks 30 with the chains 1, that are permanently attached to the trip-couplings. While the cane is being hoisted, the buckles 25 run down on the spreader-chains 28 and onto the sling-chains 1, making a cylindrical closely-packed bundle of cane. Now if it should be desired to leave the cane bundled or confined in the sling, so as to be thus deposited on a barge,

or car, or platform, or upon the ground, the buckle-tongues 27 can be pushed into looking engagement with links of the sling-chains 1, thus confining the bundled cane, and then the spreader-chains 28 can be unhooked and the cane left in a bundle, with the sling fastened around it, all ready to be picked up again when required and transported to any desired point, where by pulling the trip-cord 24 the cane will be released and maybe dumped into a car or onto a platform or upon a conveyer to be carried into a mill or elsewhere;

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a cane-sling, the trip-coupling consisting of a casing having a sling-chain attached to one end, a tumbler mounted in the other end of said casing and provided with a locking-lug and with a hooked projection to engage another sling-chain, a spring-pressed trigger fulcrumed in the said casing and having a locking-notch to normally engage the locking-lug of the tumbler, and a pull-rope for tripping the trigger to release the tumbler and cause its disengagement from the attached chain, substantially as described.

2. In a cane-sling, the trip-coupling consisting of a casing that is open along one edge and at its ends, a tumbler mounted in one end of said casing and provided with a locking-lug and with a hooked projection, a trigger fulcrumed in said casing and having a notch to normally engage the locking-lug of the tumbler, and a spring for normally hold ing the trigger in looking engagement with the tumbler, one end of the coupling being adapted for attachment of one sling-chain and the hooked projection of the tumbler being for detachable engagement with another sling-chain, substantially as described.

3. In a cane-sling, the combination with the sling-chains 1, 1, and 2, 2, of two tripcouplings 3, 3, for detachably connecting chains 1 and 2, each coupling being at one end attached to one of said sling-chains and having in its other end a tumbler 12 provided with a projection for detachable engagement with another sling-chain, and each coupling having a spring-pressed trigger 16 to normally engage and lock said tumbler, a chain or rope 22 detachably connecting the triggers of the two couplings, and a pull-cord 24, substantially as described.

4. In a cane-sling, the combination of the sling-chains 1, 1, and 2, 2, the trip-couplings 3, 3, for detachably connecting chains 1 and 2, and chain-buckles 25, 25, attached to one set of said chains, and provided with tongues 27 adapted to have a locking engagement with links of the sling-chains to confine the cane in a bundle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES MALLON.

WVitnesses:

JNo. J. WARD, WV. S. HERO. 

